#adeia

Adeia 2023: Modern Festival to Demeter

On a global scale, we’re dealing with a climate crisis that is putting food sources at risk. On a more local level, conflicts and abnormal weather are creating risks of bad harvests, resources shortages and/or inflations. We are aware that not everyone is impacted directly by the current ongoing issues, but we hope that this festival (or at least the idea) can be useful beyond these and be seen through a wider scope of praying for food security at large.  We named the festival Adeia, from the ancient Greek ἄδεια, which conveniently can signify both “abundance”/”plenty” and “freedom from fear”/”security”. All things the festival aims for. - @thegrapeandthefig’s original post

With El Niño threatening, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, and record warmest winter almost Australia-wide, the upcoming summer is looking to be dry, hot, and ripe for bushfires.

The gods I am propitiating for my Adeia are Demeter Soteira (saviour), Herakles Alexikakos (averter of evil), Zeus Hyetios (moist/fertilising rain), Hermes Nomios and Apollon Nomios (protectors of pastures and shepherds), Olea (nymph of my garden), and Djarlgarra (local river god).

My menu includes:

Butterflied pork sausages with garden flowers and parsley

Flower shaped oranges with cranberry centres and honey on a bed of barley

Bread on a bed of garden parsley

Rain water in a pitcher

We call upon you in our time of need Benevolent gods, givers of good.

Crises threaten world-over and hardships befall many, and now again we raise our voices in plea.

If these smoky offerings please you, and these sweet drinks warm you, look well upon us. Kindly gods, bless our coffers and larders again, and see abundance flow to our house. And should strife visit our doors, grant us the fortitude to endure.

May Demeter’s lawful eye oversee policy development, so great changes can sprout in years to come

May Zeus meter his life-giving rains, so dry or soggy fields remain moist year-through

May Hermes keep a watchful eye on the flocks and farm-hands, that flystrike and heatstroke never hinder them

With outstretched arms I sing praises to you, bold Djarlgarra, he who holds moisture for our sun-stricken land

And to sweet Olea I gift equally sweet fruits, that you may keep my rain barrels at bursting and my garden fertile

Adeia 2023

For those who are not already familiar with this modern festival to Demeter. Please refer to this post with the full explanation.

Local needs

Here, the year summer has been particularly wet and those conditions are impacting the harvest of grains. For Finland, we're talking about an estimate of 13% lower than the average grain crop for ten years. But Europe as a whole has both been impacted by too much wetness in the North and extreme heat in the South, which is putting at risk much more than the grain harvest and could result in further inflation in the months to come.

The gods I have called upon were Demeter Soteira (saviour), Herakles Alexikakos (averter of evil) and the Horai. Herakles is especially important for me, as he is one of the patrons of Thasos, and I have several festivals for him through my calendar year.

List of offerings:

Raw grain/grain product: wheat/betroot pasta, wheat couscous, rice, barley and barley/rye cripsbread

Apple

Pickle

Cheese

Cooked bacon

Prosciutto

Homemade loaf of bread, prepared on the 1st night and baked on the morning of the 2nd festival morning. It is a wheat and barley mix, as these are both important grains for Demeter historically and crops that have suffered from bad harvest this year locally.

Ideas for the future

I always have a hard time with this festival emotionally, because I feel so much anger towards the people in power and corporations that have put us in a situation where we're not asking the gods help against things beyond humanity's control.

This is making me consider adding Zeus and Dike in my personal list of gods to propitiate in order to also cover the political and legal aspects of the climate crisis.

The first offering to Demeter Soteira and her companions this morning, the first day of Adeia.

Some fresh figs, olives, puffed rice, and honeyed drink, from the local market. The drink is flavored with raspberry and mint.

The idea of this festival really spoke to me when I came across it, so here’s what I did:

I decided to invoke Demeter, Herakles, Zeus, Hermes, and Poseidon. I also focused my prayer partially on asking for support for those who try to solve these problems.

Due to my own personal circumstances I didn’t have very much available to offer, but I did what I could:

Mixed oats and rice. These are two of the main staples of my extremely limited diet, as well as what I had on hand. I’d have liked to offer bread or something cooked, but I couldn’t find anything I could eat.

Oat milk. Another staple of my diet.

Chai tea. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in one of the most polluted states in the country. My water is currently contaminated with a theoretically harmless but foul tasting algae, which is partially why this felt so timely for me to do. Chai is a way of still incorporating fresh water into my offerings without it feeling wrong for being contaminated, and I like that I could include one element that took a bit of effort from me.

Additional agenda for the day include doing research on Her Ladyship and (hopefully) writing poetry.

The Philippine inflation rate rose to a 6.4% sometime ago in the midst of abnormal weather. (It's either blazing hot or freezing cold...) And yet in spite of this, the higher-ups would much prefer to throw lavish parties of all kinds smh. May Despoina, blooming and praiseworthy, shelter us in her gilded arms; may Akexikakos lend us his forbearance in these trying times, and may Eleuthereus crush our shackles beneath his heel.

Let us also offer prayers for the world's farmers, and those who find great difficulty in feeding themselves.

Khaire! 💜

P.S. After clearing out the dishes, I've made my way back home from our outdoor kitchen under light rain. I offer my praise to Father Zeus.

P.P.S. Would love to know of anyone's reading recommendations concerning Lady Demeter, Lord Herakles, and/or Lord Dionysus' agricultural aspects.

I didn't do anything huge though. Had my first time ever baking bread and... I learnt why CAKE tins and BREAD tins are separate objects. I offered some of the scraps that I typically don't eat to Demeter, and other Gods I thought were relevant to where I'm living.

It was a calm, pleasant experience and it was nice to have a festival that deals with current issues. I would love to see more of them!